Latest news with #GuyFieri
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Beloved Mexican restaurant closing despite Guy Fieri, fan support
Even a visit from Guy Fieri and an incredibly loyal customer base can't protect some restaurants from the realities of the food business. When you don't own the building your business operates in, you lack a clear level of control. Most restaurants sign longer leases. In many cases, five years, with an option for a second five years at a negotiated price increase. Related: Popular sports bar restaurant chain shuts down multiple locations In those circumstances, a restaurant has some level of cost certainty. Rent is often the largest expense (although labor costs can sometimes be), and having it locked down for a decade make it easier to make decisions. When leases end, however, many restaurants find their landlords wanting increases that make their business model no longer viable. Most eateries can raise prices 5-10% every few years, but any more than that and they scare their customers away. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter If a landlord wants a 20% increase (or even more) that can force an otherwise successful business to have to close. Sometimes, the restaurant might find a nearby location, but moving is expensive, and losing your lease usually means the end for most restaurants. That's essentially what happened for a popular Phoenix taco restaurant despite support from Guy Fieri on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives," and an outpouring of customer love. Every city seemingly has dozens of Mexican restaurants and many have unique takes on the taqueria. Some of these offer takes from less-known regions of Mexico while others bring global traditions to the taco. CRUjiente calls itself "a rebirth of Latin cuisine. A modern taqueria with an inventive interpretation of Mexican street tacos," according to its Facebook page. It shares a much deeper explanation of its mission on its website. "Founded in tradition and intermixed with imagination, CRUjiente Tacos is a modern neighborhood taqueria in a lively intimate dining and bar space that interprets the evolution of tacos with redefined renditions of the classic Mexican street taco," it shared. More Food & Dining: Iconic Warren Buffett candy store suddenly closing after 30 yearsWalmart's Sam's Club makes a Costco-style food court changePopular Trader Joe's wine brand has bad news, making harsh choice The eatery offers a classic menu that also bring in items like Korean Fried Chicken. That was one of the inspired menu items that brought Fieri to visit to feature the restaurant on "DIners, Drive-ins, and Dives" Innovation, however, does not pay the bills. In fact, even being popular, and having a large fan base are sometimes not enough. When CRUjiente co-founder Rich Hinojosa shared in April that the restaurant had to close, something magical happened. Fans of the eatery rallied and formed long lines to get one last taste of the food Hinojosa made as executive chef. That support allowed the restaurant to negotiate a short extension with its landlord. In the long-term, however, the math did not make sense. Hinojosa said rising rent costs are forcing the restaurant to close when their lease expires at the end of April. He told Arizona's Family his landlord wanted to raise his rent more than 30% starting in May, along with yearly increases after that. That was more than the business could bear and Hinojosa was wistful and appreciative about it in his statement to the online magazine. "You get to be part of people's lives for a couple hours at a time. For a lot of our regulars, it was a couple of hours, a couple times a week every month, which was really nice," he shared. Despite the fan support, there will be no miracle for CRUjiente as the landlord has not opted to revise the lease terms or offer another extension. The restaurant will officially close after dinner service on May 31. Related: Popular pizza maker closed after Chapter 11 bankruptcy moves forward "Hopefully, this is not the end of our story," the restaurant shared on social media, but Hinojosa made it clear that he has no miracle ready for his staff and customers "I don't have anything in my back pocket. I wish I did," he told Phoenix New Times. "Somehow, I hope, I pray, we'd love to continue. I never felt like CRUjiente had run its course." . The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Crazy Burger to appear on Gordon Ramsay's new TV show this fall
NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (WPRI) — It looks like Rhode Islanders are going to have to wait until the fall to see a popular Narragansett burger joint featured on national television. Crazy Burger Cafe and Juice Bar first stepped into the spotlight when Food Network star Guy Fieri stopped by to film an episode of his hit TV show 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' back in 2009. Nearly two decades later, the beloved restaurant is making waves once again. This time, however, Crazy Burger will be the focus of an upcoming episode of 'Gordon Ramsay Secret Service.' Ramsay was spotted in Narragansett last month filming at the eatery, which fueled rumors that it was going to be revamped and refreshed by the celebrity chef. Instead, it appears Ramsay tricked Crazy Burger into being on his brand new series in which he visits restaurants under the cloak of darkness to assess their behind-the-scenes operations. RELATED: Crazy Burger duped into new Gordon Ramsay show The so-called 'clandestine missions' are not only facilitated by Ramsay, but also a 'secret source on the inside' who gives him a closer look at each restaurant. Though 'Secret Service' officially premiered May 21 with Ramsay's visit to The Parthenon in Washington, D.C., Crazy Burger's episode isn't set to air until Sept. 12. Ramsay is best known for his Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as his hit TV shows Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares and MasterChef. 'Secret Service' has a similar premise to his hit show Kitchen Nightmares, in which he visits struggling restaurants across the country to help them 'turn their luck around' with his trademark tough love and culinary experience. Crazy Burger first opened in 1995 and is best known for its eclectic menu of specialty burgers, breakfast, smoothies and appetizers. It also boasts a fresh juice bar with more than a dozen different flavors. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Annual sale: 5 reasons to subscribe to The Gainesville Sun
There's no shortage of news in Gainesville and Alachua County. The University of Florida is getting a new president. Some local restaurants are closing. High school athletes are earning accolades. Guy Fieri is telling his Food Network audience all about our local dining scene. We tell you all about it. Already a subscriber? Whether you get home delivery of the print edition or have a digital-only subscription, these benefits are included! Check out our activation guide for help on getting started. With a subscription, you can be one of the first to learn about breaking news with news alerts, flip through a digital replica of the print paper, get exclusive newsletters and more. Download the free app and start to personalize it to your liking. Additionally, you can download articles for offline reading and sign up for breaking and topical news alerts. Also in the app, you'll find the eNewspaper, available exclusively for subscribers. As an added benefit, subscribers can access the eNewspaper from any of our more than 200 sister papers across the United States, plus each edition of USA TODAY. ► SPECIAL OFFER: Save on a new subscription today. We know when you subscribe, you expect more. Each day, you can expect to see some of our best storytelling, investigative work, sports analysis and more. Just log in with your account to enjoy your exclusive access. Here are some examples: Here's how much Dr. Santa Ono will receive as president of the University of Florida Jalisco Town serving up modern Mexican dishes that are as delicious as they are beautiful Enjoy a streamlined, fast-loading experience that makes it easy to view the stories, photos and videos you're most interested in. Through the app, you can personalize notifications so you can know the news right when it happens. You can select alerts for breaking news, news, sports, entertainment, weather and business. Quiet times for your alerts can be set within the app. Miss out on recent news? Get the latest effortlessly with our Catch Up feature. Want alerts when we publish something new on a topic you're interested in? Sign up to follow specific topics of interest with the "Add Topic" button at the top of articles. Personalize your feed further in the For You front. The app also provides you access to daily horoscopes and access to over 100 games. Want to follow the news from another city? You can add up to five of our sister publications across the country to get more news right in the app. ► DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more To keep our subscribers informed, we email the most important articles to their inbox each day in the form of a Daily Briefing newsletter. ► SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS: Browse our entire portfolio of newsletter offerings to pick more topics that interest you specifically. Right now, we have a special introductory offer. Visit our subscription page to start supporting our work. This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Why subscribe to The Gainesville Sun: Unlimited access, personalized app
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Guy Fieri Reacts to Timothée Chalamet Playing Him in Biopic Joke
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Guy Fieri has reacted to the idea of Timothée Chalamet playing him in a biopic after a joke movie poster went viral. Newsweek reached out to Chalamet's representative via email for comment. The Context Guy Fieri won Season 2 of The Next Food Network Star in 2006. Since then, the 57-year-old has skyrocketed to fame with several Food Network shows including Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy's Grocery Games and Tournament of Champions. He has also become known for his spiky blond hair and "Flavortown" catchphrase. In addition to his hit TV shows, he also owns a slew of restaurant brands including Guy Fieri's American Kitchen & Bar, Downtown Flavortown, Guy's Burger Joint and Guy Fieri's Chophouse. Chalamet, 29, is a two-time Academy Award nominee known for roles in Wonka, Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two. The actor also played singer-songwriter Bob Dylan 2024 biopic A Complete Unknown. Guy Fieri, left, at the opening of Guy Fieri's Flavortown Sports Kitchen at the Horseshoe Las Vegas on July 7, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada; Timothée Chalamet, right, at Game Four of the Eastern Conference... Guy Fieri, left, at the opening of Guy Fieri's Flavortown Sports Kitchen at the Horseshoe Las Vegas on July 7, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada; Timothée Chalamet, right, at Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Morefor Caesars Entertainment;What To Know On Wednesday, Fieri took to X, formerly Twitter, to respond to a viral movie poster featuring Chalamet as the television personality. "The Road to Flavortown: The Guy Fieri Story," the image posted by X account @1stbestMA_ read. The account's X bio reads: "Formerly @barstoolsports & @vice. Now making underdog films on my own terms @MASTERPIECE MEDIA." In response, the Fieri said: "Big if true." At the time of publication, @1stbestMA_'s post had racked up over 3 million views, as did and Fieri's response. The conversation began when the X account NBA on TNT posted a clip of New York Knicks fan Chalamet cheering during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Indianapolis on Sunday, between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. The actor was wearing a striped shirt, gold jewelry and sunglasses, and had his hair spiked in a similar fashion to Fieri. Another X user retweeted the clip with the caption, "Soft launch of a Guy Fieri biopic," which led to the image of Chalamet as Fieri and the TV star responding with a Guy's Grocery Games meme that read: "Still got it baby!" Comments posted underneath the viral movie poster revealed that it was AI-generated. One X user wrote, "really had to get an ai chatbot to make this for you huh," to which the account @1stbestMA_ responded: "Yes didn't have 17 hours to hand draw." What People Are Saying In the comments on X, viewers shared their support for a biopic. Las Vegas' official X account wrote: "Need this duo immediately." Cobra Kai and Harold & Kumar creator Jon Hurwitz tagged filmmaker Jordan VanDina and posted: "Time to lock Timmy in." Director John Regalado posted: "Would watch." @marinando shared: "Omg I CANNOT unsee it now!!!!" X user @westerns1978 added: "Would love to see Timothee Chalamet as @GuyFieri!!! #FlavorTown." What Happens Next For now, there doesn't appear to be a Fieri biopic in the works.
Axios
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
Another chaotic Taco Fest highlights need for event safety
Yet another Columbus festival debacle has city officials grappling with how to fix a recurring problem of disorganized and sometimes dangerous events. Why it matters: Large-scale gatherings will only become bigger and more common as Columbus grows, placing greater importance on event safety and logistics. Driving the news: The ninth Columbus Taco Fest was abruptly closed early Saturday night after multiple fights broke out at Goodale Park. Shortly after, two people including a juvenile were shot near the park — it's unclear whether the shooting and fights were linked. Attendees later posted on Reddit that crowds were "running and screaming in terror," unaware of what was happening. The festival returned Sunday. Organizers claimed on Instagram: "It became clear that our event was deliberately targeted by a large group of minors whose only intent was to disrupt." Flashback: Nearly the exact same scenario happened last year. The 2024 edition of Taco Fest closed around 8pm because of fights, and organizers banned unaccompanied minors for the next day — the same steps taken this year. In 2022, another shooting happened adjacent to the festival when its home was Genoa Park. Zoom out: Taco Fest is far from the only festival mess in recent memory. This month, Sonic Temple created such a logistical nightmare that one of its acts almost couldn't make it to the stage. Last year, celebrity chef and Columbus native Guy Fieri's highly publicized "Flavortown Fest" was canceled in advance with virtually no explanation. Smaller one-off festivals, including the Margarita Festival and Coffee Festival, have been panned by disappointed attendees. What they're saying:"Unfortunately, in recent years we have seen problems related to this specific festival," Columbus Department of Public Safety spokesperson Glenn McEntyre tells Axios. "Moving forward, we are seeking a stronger collaboration and coordination with all involved to keep these events fun and safe for everyone." City Council President Shannon Hardin wrote on X that he had been in touch with police.
